Greathoof Loriaca

Leader of one of the largest cattle-rustling gangs in Peltas, Loriaca is also known as the Greathoof, a title she claims as equal to that of any lord or potentate of any land. Her lair is somewhere in the Dawnmounts, the range that separates the Stormwind Wastes from the Krokhan Desert, bisecting the continent of Peltas. To the south is the great Arena City of Velyzar and the coast. Neither the arid Krokhan nor the blasted highlands of Stormwind could support the prosperity of Velyzar on their own, so the city relies heavily on import and trade to obtain essential foods. This includes huge numbers of cows and bullocks. The cattle are led east by drovers from the rich grazing-lands around Tilshire in eastern Anhelt, crossing the Valdemar Strait by boat and into Peltas. From there, the wranglers traverse ancient trade routes from oasis to oasis across the inhospitable desert. Loriaca was one of these rugged drovers, facing constant dangers – stampedes, the brutal heat and dryness, predatory wildlife, and rustlers from among the native clans. These impoverished Nomad rustlers eked out a tenuous existence between two harsh environments – they ate or starved based on the success or failure of their raids. By contrast, Loriaca’s paymasters were wealthy ranchers who were often insured against any losses, and she was paid her full wage so long as those losses were below an acceptable threshold. At first she hated the rustlers, but in time she came to pity them. When she let an emaciated-looking raider escape with one of the herd, the other drovers suspected these sympathies and treated her more coldly. The turning point came when Loriaca was assigned to guard a herd of prize cattle of a particularly rare and valuable breed, which lured a large force of Nomad raiders with the promise of huge black market profits. Many of her cohort were killed and the rest fled. Loriaca surrendered and was taken hostage, and made to wait for miserable, agonizing months as a ransom demand was sent to her employer in distant Tilshire. When a reply finally arrived, it was terse and unequivocal: respectable businessmen do not negotiate with extortionists. No help was forthcoming. Loriaca's captors were left with an undesirable extra mouth to feed. Many voted to leave her to die in the desert. But the same young Nomad who she had previously allowed to escape with a cow repaid her now by speaking on her behalf. As she was a skilled warrior and already familiar with the terrain, he advocated that they recruit Loriaca rather than abandon her. The doubters were eventually swayed, and Loriaca was freed on the condition that she learn their ways and respect their culture. She spent many months mistrusted and afraid, but her knowledge of the inner workings of the cattle-drives made her an invaluable asset and eventually the clan accepted her. Just as Loriaca was beginning to embrace her new life, a raid went wrong. A sudden, unexpected thunderclap panicked the herd of cattle, which broke into a wild stampede. Thrown from her horse and faced with a thundering wall of heaving flesh and crushing hooves, Loriaca survived by using her mighty hammer to crush the skull of the first cow to reach her and hid behind the corpse – the stampede flowed around it like a living river and she was safe, at least in part. She lay there, writhing in agony in the throes of transformation after the dead cow's soul plunged into her body. When the dust settled, she was a Skinwalker, now similar in aspect to the slain cow. When all was done she rose to her feet. The warriors of her clan had fled, presumably thinking her trampled. With nowhere else to go, she trudged back to their tents. There, once again, her adopted clan debated her future, and once again decided to give her a chance to prove herself. Refusing to let her circumstances beat her, Loriaca continued leading cattle raids, for her transformation had only enhanced her capabilities in battle. For four years, her notoriety built and her leadership improved. By this time the clan’s leader, an aged man ready to retire, had seen enough, and appointed her as his successor. Impressed by her prowess, several other Nomad clans also swore allegiance to her. She gathered them in a great moot, and proclaimed herself their Greathoof – styled after the military titles used by Skinwalkers in the Gaellen Pact armies. Her raider coalition is now more than a transient nuisance, it is a nascent war-horde with reach all across Peltas.